Ducks A-Z: Stefan Noesen

The name certainly sounds like he is straight out of Scandinavia but Stefan Noesen makes it clear where he originates from on his back just below his right shoulder.

A sizable tattoo -- one of a few Noesen adorns -- has the unmistakable red, white and blue image of the Texas state flag. And the top prospect the Ducks grabbed from Ottawa in the Bobby Ryan trade is proud to be part of a growing fraternity.

Hockey players are coming out of the Lone Star State. Imagine that.

"It's starting to get a lot bigger," said Noesen, the Senators' 2011 first-round pick born and raised in Plano. "I think we have four or five guys. We have a guy in college right now at [Boston U.], Cason Hohmann. You've got Colin Jacobs, who signed with Buffalo. Chris Brown (a Phoenix prospect).

"There's quite a few hockey guys coming out of Texas. It’s actually really awesome to see. I take great pride in that, being from the south born and raised. I call myself a Texan."

The list is miniscule when it comes Texas-born hockey players making an impact at the NHL level -- Brian Leetch and Tyler Myers come to mind but Leetch was primarily raised in Connecticut and Myers moved with his family to Canada at age 10.

What he did in 2012-13: Noesen blew out of the gate in his third OHL season as he had five goals in his first five games but it was the start of a streaky year. He had a big November with four two-goal contests and nine goals overall, with four-point games on Nov. 9 against Windsor and Nov. 14 at Saginaw being highlights. But there was a big drought as he had just one goal in his next 16 contests with the Whalers, much of which can be blamed on a 10-game suspension that he incurred as the result of a charging incident against Oshawa's Tyler Hore on Dec. 8. It also left him unable to play for Team USA at the world junior championships as the IIHF upheld the ban, rendering him ineligible to play until mid-January. Noesen found his game again after the interruption and buried three goals on Feb. 18 in a 10-2 win at Sarnia. He closed with points in eight of his last 11 games, with three straight two-assist games and four in all mixed in. Nine points came in his final four games and 23 came in his last 13. On an incredibly balanced Plymouth squad, Noesen's 25 goals ranked fourth and his 53 points were sixth. Noesen finished with seven goals overall and 12 assists along with a plus-15 rating in his 15 postseason contests. He had two three-point games against Sarnia during a four-game sweep in the opening round and a one-goal, three-assist effort in the second round against Owen Sound. But he didn't score another goal after Game 5 against the Attack and was limited to four assists in a five-game loss to London in the OHL conference finals.

What could happen in 2013-14: There are some who tend to think that Noesen isn't that far away from the show. Maybe there is something to it as he is a classic power forward in the making with an NHL-ready frame at 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds. But Noesen isn't joining a rebuilding team that's making a blowout commitment to go young. The Ducks are stacked with right wings, some of whom are having to play on the left side out of necessity. And that figures to make Norfolk his destination, where he can put in his first full American Hockey League season and learn the nuances of the pro game. The Admirals should have a decent amount of changeover and that could open up a top-six spot for Noesen to grab and develop. More opportunities in 2014 might open on the Ducks as Teemu Selanne is expected to retire while it remains to be seen if the club will re-sign potential unrestricted free agents Daniel Winnik, Andrew Cogliano and Brad Staubitz. There is a reason why ESPN.com listed Noesen among their top 100 prospects and Noesen can validate that if he shows the upside some scouts believe he has if he goes into Norfolk and helps inject some offense -- say 20-or-more goals and 50-plus points -- into a team that struggled to score last season. Count on his Ducks arrival either sometime in 2014-15 or 2015-16.

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